Times Seeks Manhattan Reformer

One of the few competitive primaries in Manhattan was shaken up yesterday when the Times endorsed Assembly candidate Brian Kavanagh over incumbent Sylvia Friedman, who won the seat in a special election earlier this year. In that short time, in the eyes of the Times, Friedman lost her credentials as a reformer and began “sliding too easily under the party leaders’ sway.”

After last week’s candidate forum, I asked Kavanagh how he would differ from one of those party leaders, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver. His answer came down to one word: Reform. (Here’s an audio clip of his response.)

Also worth noting: Most of the elected officials in the area have already endorsed Friedman. I wonder whose endorsements count for more?